Chapter 30: No More Secrets
As lunchtime drew closer, Ron felt the clock going slower. He hadn't had a minute alone with Hermione since the kids had come home, and he was dying to see her. While he would love to whisk her home for some real alone time, he was still excited to have her to himself for an hour or so. He had been stuck in the Ministry library all morning, as he had been for days. So, when he finally walked outside he was delighted to find what a gorgeous spring day it was. He wondered if maybe they could find an outdoor café for lunch.
Hermione knew she would be traveling around London that Wednesday, so she had told Ron she would meet him at a corner near the Ministry. When she came up from the Tube station, he was standing on the corner looking the other way for her. When he turned and saw her, the crooked grin that made her melt broke out across his face.
"Hi," she said as she reached her arms up around him.
After a deep kiss he finally smiled and said, "Hi," as well.
Hand in hand they headed off for an area nearby where there were muggle restaurants with outdoor seating, and soon they had found a lovely spot to catch up and enjoy the day.
"I know I've seen you every day," he said, "but I have missed this all the same."
"I know," she groaned. "We have to tell them soon."
"Actually – I haven't had a chance to tell you about a conversation Rose and I had on Sunday."
"The one where she hugged you at the table?"
"Did she tell you about it?"
"No. I happened to see it. It was incredibly sweet, but I have no idea what you were talking about."
"Well, Rose and I had been chatting about how much we both enjoy the countryside, and the conversation evolved into her asking me to ask you if we could go on a family holiday with just the four of us so we could spend time together as a family before she goes to school."
"She said that?"
"Yeah. I was a little blown away. I mean I know Hugo mentioned something similar on Saturday, but it felt different coming from Rose somehow."
"So which part made her hug you?"
"I told her I promised I would talk to you about it. And," he said guiltily, "I may have promised that if anyone needed to research things for it I would go to the library for her."
Hermione laughed out loud. "Ah ha! Now I understand. I may have a slightly nerdy habit of trying to turn every holiday into an educational outing."
"You're missing the point, Love. She already thinks of the four of us as a family."
"I didn't miss that," she said in a more serious tone, but still smiling. "And, I think she has a great idea. We should go somewhere for a bit. Maybe in July we rent a cottage for a week or something. Depending on our work schedules we might be able to squeeze out two weeks."
"I would love that. And I think I can make 2 weeks in July work. I am hoping to crack this case in the next few weeks. And then I want to take time off to figure out what I want to do anyway."
"Great. So – where should we go?"
"Rose said she was wanted to go somewhere in the country near the seaside."
"Well, we are technically the British Isles, so there is a lot of seaside to be found."
"I was wondering if we could go somewhere else. Maybe look into a place on the coast of Spain or France. I would love to go where no one knows us and we can just spend time as a family."
"That sounds lovely, Ron. But, it also sounds expensive. I mean – there isn't just the rental but its flights for four of us too."
"Oh," Ron said as he squirmed slightly uncomfortably in his seat. "Um, I know we haven't really talked about this. But, well, after the war a lot of countries gave Harry and I these ridiculous awards. And, a lot of them included these substantial financial awards that went with them. It was silly actually, but between that and having almost no living expenses for the past twenty years, I have a lot saved up. I managed to find ways to put a lot of it to better use than sitting in my vault. So, what I am trying to say is money isn't an issue. At all. Not for this trip. Not for the future. I think we are both people who are passionate about things and want to stay busy and working. But, money doesn't have to be a factor at all."
Hermione just looked at him with her jaw slightly open. She was grateful Fleur had given her a heads up about this, but from what Ron was saying it sounded like he had a lot more than even Fleur had hinted at.
"Ok. That's unexpected. What do you mean you found ways to put it to good use?"
"Well, I gave a lot away. Some to different organizations, or some to some families or individuals who needed a hand. I worked through back channels to be able to give it all anonymously, and I have to confess sometimes I sort of tricked people into thinking they'd won a prize or an award or something because I knew they would never accept such a gift. But, I also had enough sense to invest a lot of it. Some in magical things, but most in the muggle stock markets at the right time. I didn't know anything about those things, but a muggle sibling of someone who was impacted by the war offered to introduce me to the right investment managers, and their advice has been spot on over the years."
"You sound like you are talking about a highly substantial amount of money, Ron."
"Yeah. Well, I am. It's not something I want many people to know. But, I grew up having nothing. And I really mean nothing, Hermione. I had never had a new, store bought piece of clothing until after the war when I could buy it myself. We never went hungry growing up, but the shame of having nothing sticks with you. On the other hand, I had also seen classmates who had been rather ruined by being on the other end of the spectrum. They never had to work for anything, and so they had no appreciation of anything. I wouldn't want Rose or Hugo to experience either of those extremes. So, when I found myself actually having money, I decided I wanted to be really smart about it. I never wanted to waste it on silly things. And, I became really interested in how to grow it so it could do more good. "
Hermione was slightly dumbstruck. "Who knows this about you, Ron?"
"Well, aside from my muggle financial advisors – that would be only you. I mean, my family knows about the financial awards I got after the war. And, Bill knows a little more as he works at Gringotts so he has access to my vault. But, after I had to rob Gringotts during the war, the goblins never loved having me there. So, I had to shift a lot of things to the muggle banks, and Bill doesn't know about those. Most of it is tied up in stocks and investments. And, I had been rather disciplined at giving away a set percent each year. This year has been a little different as I haven't had as much time to focus on financial matters. But, last time I checked it was more than 10 million pounds."
"Wait – what? Back up a moment. You robbed a bank? And you're a multi-millionaire? And no one knows, not even Harry and Ginny?"
"Yes," Ron said with a sigh. "Three for three."
Hermione just looked at him blankly for a moment. Ron was worried he had misread it as the right moment to share all of this information, but then Hermione busted out laughing. His nerves soon diminished, and he found her laughter infectious. Before he knew it he was laughing as well.
"Oh Ron," she gasped through her giggles. "Every time I think I have finally gotten my mind around things, there is yet another unbelievable layer you keep piling on top."
"You're ok with everything, then?" he asked nervously.
"Of course, Ron. What did you think I wouldn't want to still be with you because you have a large bank account?"
"No," he admitted. "But, well, I don't know. Money is just one of those awkward things that often messes up relationships. I don't want to live a flashy life. But I do want to be sure that you and the kids always have what you need. And I think right now what we all need is some time away as a family, just like Rose suggested."
Hermione nodded slowly. "I think you and Rose are correct. So, back to the holiday – do you want to just handle it then? We'll finalize the weeks and then you figure it all out?"
Ron grinned. "I would love to do that for us," he said leaning across the table to kiss her.
Smiling after the kiss, Hermione said, "Now we just need to figure out how and when to tell them about us."
"Right," Ron sighed. "Any brilliant plan?"
"I am thinking we should each do it tomorrow evening. That way they can have some time away from us on Friday at school to work through it on their own, but then we'll have the weekend to work through whatever aftermath there is."
Ron nodded, playing it out in his mind. "Right, right. Ok. I think that could really work. Should we have dinner altogether first and then head home as usual or have dinner separately?"
"Let's keep it normal. We'll have a quick dinner and then each commit to telling them before bed. And then – of course – we'll talk after they go to sleep to make sure everyone is ok. What do you think?"
"I think I'm in love with a brilliant witch," he beamed as her reached for her hand.
The next evening came quickly, and as everyone helped clear the dishes from Hermione's kitchen table, both Ron and Hermione looked visibly anxious.
"Can we all play exploding snap tonight?" asked Hugo, oblivious to the tension in the room.
"No, not tonight, Buddy," Ron said. "Actually it's about time you and I head home for the evening."
"Awwwww," the kids whined in unison.
"Don't worry. Tomorrow's Friday, so we will have lots of time together this weekend," Hermione said trying to sound perfectly normal.
When the boys had departed, Hermione fussed nervously in the kitchen making tea as Rose sat at the table finishing the last page of her homework.
"Can you check my work, Mum? I think I got it right, but I am not totally sure."
"Of course," Hermione said as she took the page and reviewed her calculations. After a minute, she declared, "I think you got them all correct. So, if you missed something, it wasn't anything I ever learned."
"Thanks," said Rose as she began packing up her folders.
"Rose, can we chat for a minute?"
"Yeah, Mum. What's going on?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"What do you think of all of the time we have been spending with Ron and Hugo?"
"Uh, well, I guess I hadn't thought too much about it. They are part of our family. I mean, Hugo's always felt like my little brother. But, since everything happened with the car accident, it just feels even more important to spend time all together."
"Yes. I think you're right," said Hermione as she got up to the get the tea kettle which was now whistling. "What about Ron?"
"Ron's brilliant. He's really smart, and he isn't one of those grown-ups that talks down to kids, you know? He always treats me like I am worth listening to. And he's really good at chess."
"All good things," nodded Hermione wondering how the hell she was going to pull this off. "It's just, well, Ron and I have started to date each other. And, I know I haven't really dated anyone since you were born, and we spend so much time with them so I wasn't sure how you would react to hearing that."
"Mum," Rose said with an accusing smile. "Did you really think Hugo and I hadn't figured that out already?"
"WHAT?" gasped a shocked Hermione.
"Oh, Mum," Rose said getting up to hug Hermione. "You're both just so happy when you are around each other. We figured it out a long time ago."
"Hugo too?"
"Of course, Hugo too."
"How long ago did you figure it out?"
"I don't know – maybe a month?"
"We haven't even been dating a month! You two figured it out before Ron and I did I guess," laughed Hermione, shaking her head in disbeliefe.
"I think it's great Mum. I want you to be happy. And I like knowing Ron will look out for you when I am away at school."
"Yeah?" said Hermione, starting to get a little teary.
"We will always be the Granger Girls, Mum. This won't change that. I am really glad we've had all this time with just the two of us. But, that doesn't mean it always has to be that way."
"You have no idea how nervous I've been to tell you this, darling."
"Why?"
"Well, it's a big change."
"Are you two going to get married?"
"Um. Not right now. I think just dating is a big enough change for me to get used to. When you have been single as long as I have, Rose, it is quite an adjustment."
"But do you think you'll marry him eventually?"
Hermione couldn't control her grin. "Highly, highly possible," she admitted. "But it's been a rather ridiculous year so far. So, we don't want to make those kind of decisions or throw too much change into one short period of time."
"That makes sense. And we will still have time for just us sometimes, right?"
"Absolutely, love. Nothing will ever change that. Not if I get married. And not even if you get married someday. We will always be Mum and Daughter, and that is its own form of special magic."
Hugo put his bag on the couch as they entered the living room.
"Hugo can you sit for a moment? I want to talk for a bit if that's ok with you."
"Ok," said Hugo nonchalantly as he plopped onto the sofa. "Is this why we couldn't play exploding snap?"
"Um, yeah. I guess it is," admitted Ron. "Sorry 'bout that. I'll make it up to you eventually, I promise. But, I wanted to tell you something."
"No one else has been in an accident have they?" Hugo asked, suddenly sober.
"NO, no," Ron assured him quickly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound bad. I think this is a good thing actually, and I hope you will think so too. It's just, well, with all of the time we have been spending with Rose and Hermione, well, I have sorta started to really like Hermione."
"I really like her too."
"That's good," said Ron. "But, I have started to like her as not just a friend but as a girlfriend."
"I know. And she likes you too. Rose and I figured that out a long time ago."
"What did you say?"
"Ron, you may be a fancy auror who could go undercover with Mummy, but if how you like Hermione was supposed to be a secret then you stink at keeping secrets."
Ron started laughing as he patted Hugo on the back.
"Fair point, Buddy. Guess I thought we were a little less obvious."
"Are you going to marry her?"
"Eventually I hope to marry her, but not any time soon."
"Would we have to live at her house? Because I really like living here."
"No, Hugo. This is your house. And you don't have to leave it at all. Hermione and I are just dating right now. We aren't getting married at this point and no one is even talking about moving yet. But, we wanted to be honest with you and Rose about our relationship."
"Have you kissed her?" said Hugo in a disgusted eight year old boy manner.
"Yeah," Ron laughed. "I've kissed her. And when you are a few years older, you may understand that a little better."
"I doubt it," declared Hugo. Then he sat quietly for a moment before he gave a sad little laugh.
"What?"
"Mummy would have teased you and teased you over this, Ron."
"I know, Hugo," Ron said wistfully. "I've thought a lot about what your mum would have said. But after she would have made me miserable with her teasing, I think she would have been really happy for both me and Hermione in the long run."
"Yeah. And I think Daddy would like that you and Hermione are together. She was like his big sister."
"I know. I hope he would approve, at least I like to think he would. Did you know the first time I met Hermione was at your parents' wedding?"
"Really?"
"Really. We danced together, and I was crazy about her. I even asked her to dinner but that was just a few days before she was leaving to move overseas, so it didn't work out then. But now we get another chance."
"That probably makes Mummy and Daddy happy too. But that doesn't mean I want to see any of that mushy stuff."
"I'll try to keep it out of view the best I can," conceded Ron with a chuckle.
After Hugo had fallen asleep, and he had hoped Rose had fallen asleep, he rang Hermione's number. She answered laughing.
"They totally knew!" she laughed.
"I know. I couldn't believe it when Hugo said that," he chuckled.
They both recounted their individual conversations, and Ron said, "Well, I am glad we weren't wrong on all accounts. I mean, they both knew, but at least we knew what they would be concerned about. Hugo doesn't want to move, and Rose wants to be sure she still has her special connection to you. We at least got that right."
"I guess we aren't complete rubbish at this then," she conceded. "I am just so bloody relieved to have these conversations behind us."
"Me too, love. Me too."
The next evening when they were all gathered for dinner, the children acted like nothing had happened, much to the relief of both Ron and Hermione. They still didn't kiss in front of them, but they were more relaxed about touching each other now. As they washed up from supper while the kids were off in the sitting room, Ron stood behind her at the sink rubbing her back and shoulders.
"That feels splendid," she said.
"I think this whole evening has been splendid," he said. "Finally being honest with them and having everything out in the open just makes everything feel more relaxed."
"Couldn't agree more," she said as she turned up to kiss him on the cheek.
Just then Rose walked into the kitchen. She hesitated slightly seeing Ron and her mum in an intimate moment. But, she smiled when she saw how her mum was beaming. When she realized it was nothing more than a kiss on the cheek, she finally said, "Ron, I was wondering if you'd play chess with me? Hugo said he wants to draw tonight."
His lopsided grin growing wider, Ron said, "Absolutely. Do you want to play with your set, or shall I pop home and get mine?"
"Wizard chess is ever so much better if you don't mind."
"Brilliant. I'll be right back," he said as he headed for the floo.
"Are you sure you're alright with this, Rose?" Hermione asked, realizing what Rose had just seen.
Rose came up and hugged her. "I'm sure, Mum. I love him too."
